The Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is one of London’s top tourist attractions and a leading science research centre. HRH the Duchess of Cambridge is the museum’s patron and takes a vested interest in the research carried out by its 300 scientists. Welcoming over 5 million people per year and holding over 80 million specimens, The Natural History Museum is one of the busiest and largest in the world. Some of the collections are several centuries old and include part of Charles Darwin’s collection. One of the most famous and certainly most prominent of the exhibits, affectionately known as Dippy, is a 105 foot long replica Diplodocus carnegii skeleton, situated within the central hall. With attractions like these, you can see why so many UK residents and overseas tourists flock to this iconic London landmark.

Zones

The museum is split into 4 main zones, blue, red, green and orange. The Blue Zone is a celebration of nature and the diverse variety of animals, mammals, dinosaurs and much more. When you enter the Red Zone you are met with a spectacular sculpture of the Earth takes you to the centre of the globe where you begin your journey around the planet. Here you can take a look at a piece of the moon, learn all about volcanoes and earthquakes and explore the impact that humans are having on our planet. Hintze Hall, which is the grand entrance hall, forms part of the Green Zone and takes tourists on a tour of our environment and evolution. The Green Zone includes the opportunity to discover the stories behind some of nature’s most rare, unique and valuable treasures in the Museum’s Vault gallery. Finally, the Orange welcomes visitors into the iconic Darwin Centre, where there are incredible specimens and displays, and its neighbouring wildlife centre. There is so much to see and do, that you may need more than one day to see it all but, amazingly, entry to the museum is free so you can come back again and again.

Special Exhibitions

As well as permanent exhibitions, some on a rotating basis, the museum hosts a serious of special exhibits throughout the year. The annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is held here as well as many other science and nature awards and exhibitions. There are daily activities and tours for all ages plus an award winning education centre that supports schools and universities as well as members of the public. The museum is very interactive and prides itself on getting people involved in science and nature, with projects like ‘Citizen Science’ that encourages children to take an active part in scientific research. A trip to the Natural History Museum will provide you with hours of fun, facts and entertainment and there are shops, cafes and restaurants to cater for all of your needs throughout the day. The dinosaur shop is particularly impressive, with thousands of products to choose from to take home, as a permanent reminder of your day of fun.